(Posted February 13, 2020)

Esports team member Malcom MacDermid ‘22 played against the team from the Pennsylvania College of Technology Feb. 8 in the opening rounds of the PA Cup Championship. 

Photo by Max Prosser ‘23 

Esports team member Malcom MacDermid ‘22 played against the team from the Pennsylvania College of Technology Feb. 8 in the opening rounds of the PA Cup Championship. 

Photo by Max Prosser ‘23 

HUNTINGDON, Pa.—Juniata’s esports team will travel to XL Live in Harrisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 15 to compete for the title of PA Cup Champion after a successful showing in the online qualifier of the two-week tournament hosted by Harrisburg University. 

“The team is looking very strong. They’ve been practicing five days a week since mid-September,” said Alex Kurtz, esports head coach and program director. “The team is very comfortable with what they are doing right now and are excited to have qualified for the PA Cup finals.”

College esports teams from throughout Pennsylvania competed in a 12-team, double elimination bracket for the PA Cup League of Legends online qualifier, where the last four teams remaining earned a slot in the finals. Additionally, there was a 11-team, double elimination bracket for Overwatch.

The Eagles’ five League of Legends players, Brian Park ’20, from Houston, Texas, Tim Mong ’23, from Coopersburg, Pa., Allan Dao ’20, from Hanoi, Vietnam, Frank Woods ’23, from Hanoi, Vietnam, and Malcolm MacDermid ’22, from San Francisco, Cal., competed in the 12-team double elimination tournament on Saturday. 

Positions correlate to where each player is within the game. League of Legends has three lanes with a jungle in between. Park is the team’s top laner, Mong the jungler, Dao the mid laner, Woods the ADC (Attack Damage Carry), and MacDermid the support. 

“We made it through the bracket Saturday, winning against Albright and losing to Temple,” Kurtz said. “We then beat Bloomsberg University, University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and Pennsylvania College of Technology and are going into the finals 4-1.”

Juniata will battle Temple University, Harrisburg University, and Messiah College in the PA Cup finals. The finals will consist of round-robin play between the four teams.

In Landmark Conference play, the Eagles conquered the Catholic University Cardinals 2-0 on Feb. 9, and will compete against Elizabethtown College on Saturday, Feb. 22. 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.